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United Technocratic Commonwealth
The United Technocratic Commonwealth (UTC), sometimes referred to as the Xer Commonwealth, is an Interstellar state originating from Jura. The Commonwealth contains around 4 trillion citizens, consisting of over 30 species. The United Juran Commonwealth was founded by the Xer species as the planetary government of Jura after the chaotic period known as The Age of Misery. After a similarly harsh period, The Age of Great Effort, Jura was narrowly saved from complete ecological collapse and the Commonwealth achieved FTL-technology. Following the initial planetary colonization and constitutional reforms overseen by prime-director Klandrax, the Commonwealth was transformed into the interstellar state existing today and renamed to The United Technocratic Commonwealth. A period of steady expansion began following the transformation. Through steady economic, military and especially technological advancement, The Commonwealth managed to become the foremost power of its galactic region. The Commonwealth maintains its sphere of influence through its military-political alliance: The Cretacean Treaty Coalition, or as it is more commonly known: The Greater Commonwealth. The Commonwealth is currently locked into a cold war with The Pious Audean Dominion, its main rival. The UTC is a highly technocratic oligarchy where power resides with the skilled elite who appoint the governing directors. The directors hold executive and legislative power in all levels of government. The Commonwealth is further characterized by the contrast between the authoritarian and paternalistic form of administration and the rather libertarian approach towards civil society. On one hand, the governing system is fiercely anti-democratic and elitist, considering popular sovereignty as a recipe for ineffective and short-sighted governance. On the other hand, the UTC provides a great degree of personal liberty to its citizens and places few restrictions on their day-to-day lives. It is often said that you could fool one person the Commonwealth is a democracy and another that it is an autocracy by showing them either a public square on Epochion or a directorial meeting. Economically the Commonwealth maintains a mostly free market, although the businesses are subject to extensive regulation and the power of corporations is greatly restrained. History pre-commonwealth (see: Jura) United Juran Commonwealth The Aftermath of the war of doctrine After Epochians won the war of doctrine it fell to them to rebuild Jura once more. The immediate years following the war were filled with confusion, as the new commonwealth was being built up around the Epochian ideals. Although society eventually recovered and the worst damage was restored, uncertainty continued to plague the fledgeling nation. Erathem resistance remained strong and the slow recovery angered the new regime's more opportunistic initial supporters. Many eventualities could have occurred if society could have taken a natural course, but that was not how it would be. 15 years after the end of the war of doctrine, the gravest threat in the history of the Xer was discovered: Jura was dying. Decades of war, overfarming and rushed industrialisation had caused great harm to Jura's already less-than-robust biosphere. Scientists, in a sombre report, estimated that complete ecological collapse would occur within 100 years, one that they furthermore judged to be irreversible. The new Commonwealth was thus faced with an impossible situation and its leadership recognised that all the strength of the Xer had to be mobilized against the crisis if there was to be even an idea of hope. And thus, in 97 AVT, the grand-commissars of the Juran commonwealth declared the initiation of two immense projects: project Valour, aiming to leave Jura and find a new home before the ecological collapse, and project Defiance, which aimed to combat the collapse and if not to prevent it, at least buy more time for Valour to be completed. The commissariat further stated that all other parts of society where to become tertiary to these projects and that all the population could expect was an age of endless, harsh effort. and so the age of great effort began. The age of great effort The initial reaction to the commissariat's proclamation was one of shock, terror and anger. For months riots raged and even when a degree of calm returned, deteriorating living standards and harsh tax caused discontent to burn ever more violently and support for Erathem restoration grew greatly. In the first decade of the age, it seemed yet another war was on the horizon. But as the threat of extinction grew ever more apparent as droughts reigned, the weather became erratic and more areas became unlivable, the population resigned itself more and more to the great efforts. The fear of extinction swiftly drowned discontent as outlooks grew ever bleaker. After 30 years, the situation reached its bleakest point, the collapse had visibly started everywhere and although great progress was made with the projects, having the first landings upon other bodies in the Cretacean system and rudimentary climate engineering, it seemed to be too little too late. Soon prospects improved, however, as 10 years later efficient soil preservation and artificial fertilizer were starting to seriously counter-act the decline of usable soil for life while the first major space-station enabled much faster space-research. By the 50th year of the great effort, it was estimated that the collapse of Jura had been delayed by 20 years, whilst manned-missions to neighbour-planets were in the works. Though chances were still slim, optimism started to return. By year 80, the collapse had been delayed by another 20 years and the first base on Xisa, Jura's moon, was established. By the 100th year of the age, a new type of sublight engine enabled travel across the stellar system in mere months, enabling the first mining colonies to compensate for Jura's dwindling output, the first space elevator was established shortly after. Advancement in both project seemingly grew exponentially, and though Jura still deteriorated, with many parts becoming inhospitable wastelands, this deterioration was slowing greatly and it was estimated that a total of 100 extra years had been won. Even as hope flooded back and survival seemed just about plausible again, the greatest salvation to the Xer had come: the invention of the Kolodom-Xuram FTL drive. The KX-drive was successfully tested for the first time in 223 AVT when drones sent to the neighbouring star Kitadul returned with a wealth of data that proved their unmolested transfer to the other system. The path to stellar expansion now laid open and a renowned leader ascended to lead the Commonwealth into this new horizon. Klandrax and the founding of the UTC Klandrax was a respected, if highly controversial societal thinker and political scientist. He had previously written several works in which he claimed that interstellar expansion would occur sooner or later and that the Commonwealth would have to go through great changes if it was to remain when the expansion would begin. He had thought the need for his proposals were still far off when two years before the successful test of the KX-drive he was unexpectedly requested to assume the office of general-commissar. With interstellar travel on the horizon, the leadership of the Commonwealth was unsure how such a significant event should be handled. They concluded that Klandrax was the only major figure who possessed a clear vision of how this expansion was to be handled. Shortly after the KX-drive was finalized, Klandrax announced his greatest endeavour: The Astral Reforms. The reforms were meant to transform the Commonwealth from a planetary state to an interplanetary one and were to be gradually enacted in parallel with the start of the interstellar expansion. The Astral reforms were enacted in three phases; the introduction phase, the realignment phase and the metamorphosis phase. The introduction phase focused on establishing the physical and institutional infrastructure needed for interstellar expansion. As part of this stage organisations such as the Commonwealth Navy, The Institute for Interstellar Prospecting where founded and projects such as the construction of the Interstellar Communication Grid were undertaken. By the end of these initial reforms, interstellar exploration had begun in earnest, leading to the charting of several dozen star-systems and the construction of the first outpost outside the Cretacean system. By the time the first habitable world, Cambrion, had been charted and prepared for colonization, the next stage of the Astral reforms began. During the realignment phase the roles of many existing parts of government where redesigned, replaced or scrapped. The state was gradually reformed from being purely focused on the now nearly completed projects of the Age of Great Effort, to having a new broader focus in which general growth and wellbeing could once again be pursued, with a heavy emphasis on stellar expansion. When the realignment phase was over, Cambrion had become mostly self-sustaining and three more habitable worlds had been discovered, most notably Epochion, described by its prospectors as ‘Jura, but grander, larger and richer’. As these new worlds were prepared, the final stage of the reforms began. In the metamorphosis stage, Klandrax aimed to reshape the Commonwealth’s complete political structure according to his vision of Epochianism. Though the task was enormous and difficult, Klandrax had managed to accumulate enough influence and goodwill in his 41 years as leader to push through the reform. And so, on 260 AVT a new constitution was ratified, transforming the Juran Commonwealth into the United Technocratic Commonwealth as it is known today. The constitution established the current directorial system, separation of power and the relation between the central government and the individual planets, giving little privilege to Jura. Shortly after the establishment of the UTC, Klandrax became the first prime-director. His term mainly revolved around consolidating the progress made and further advancing interstellar expansion. The main event of Klandrax’s time as prime-director was when, several years into his term, the first meeting with advanced alien life occurred when explorers of the UTC and the Hesokur Commerce League encountered each other. Though relations were cordial from the start, diplomacy remained difficult as proper translators did not yet exist. In addition, Klandrax had failed to anticipate the existence of alien empires, leaving the Commonwealth without a diplomatic corps, which had to be constructed from scratch. By the end of his term in 280 AVT Klandrax was a renowned and respected, but also old and exhausted man. In his final address, symbolically held on Epochion, He stated that the great effort was definitively over. The commonwealth had expanded into the stars and Jura was saved. 193 years ago, the Commonwealth was faced with two impossible challenges and it conquered them both. He ended his 57-year reign with these words: ‘And now the age of want and fear is past us, let the new age of golden progress begin!’ The golden age of progress Demographics Over the recent centuries of interstellar development since the founding of the UTC, its demographics have shifted dramatically. With a population growing from around 5 billion to close to 2 trillion and the introduction of dozens of new sapient species. Today, the Xer make up the plurality at about 40% of the total population, followed by synthetics at around 10%, Endurga at 8% Hesokurs at 6%. Demographics vary heavily from planet to planet, however. Jura's inhabitants are still 60% Xer, whereas newer worlds generally have them at 20% of the population or lower. Prominent species Xer As founders of the UTC, the Xer are the species most strongly associated with it. Native to Jura, the Xer are a highly predatory species in their origin. Early Xer would come to dominate the whole planet's food chain, wiping out all other major predators. The ensuing competition between Xer for territory and food led to strong evolutionary pressure for intelligence, leading to a relatively swift ascension to sapience. There live around 1,6 trillion Xer in the UTC. Xer are generally considered resourceful when it comes to material knowledge such as engineering, as well as intellectually adaptive when properly focused. This is as a result of strife between Xer being very lethal for both sides regardless of the victor when they fight directly. This led to pressure for indirect approaches, often involving careful plans and traps. This all relates greatly to one of the Xer's most notable attributes: they are very calculating and deliberative when calm, but intensely aggressive and savage when threatened. This is clearly exemplified by the so-called bloodsurge: when a Xer is lethally wounded or driven into an unsurvivable situation, they are overcome by a boundless fury, expending all remaining strength to cause as much harm to their foe as possible. Though Xer are natural predators of immense prowess, the traits that make them deadly in nature have long proven pointless or even detrimental in modern warfare. The Xer drive towards aggression in combat situations causes them to be too unhinged to fight with proper tact and too unfocused to use most projectile weapons effectively. Xer are therefore rather unsuited for frontline combat and mainly serve in support roles in the Commonwealth military. The exception to this are the 'Earth Scorchers', shock troops employed by the UTC who combine compact mortars, personal shields and melee combat to engage in inherently chaotic combat scenarios, such as the rare cases of boarding actions. Synthetics Synthetics, advanced robots that have been enabled by sapience, are the second largest group within the UTC and easily one of the most vital. Usage of robots has long been a cornerstone of the Commonwealth economy, but truly sapient robots have not been around for nearly as long. About 140 years ago the first synth was produced by a research team led by the renowned doctor Kreemak as part of the genesis program, one of the great long-term programs of the Cambria-division founded during the reign of Klandrax with the goal of producing new sapient life. Kreemak's team achieved its goal by crafting an artificial brain, now known as a Kreemak-core, which emulated organic neural functions rather than traditional programming, which had failed to produce results. After the breakthrough synths where introduced on a large scale, replacing many traditional robots en-masse. The problems of the status for Synths was problematic, however, with many protesting the ethics of utilizing these now sapient beings the same way as the old automatons. The situation got even tenser as groups of worker synths started forming insurgent groups on more rural worlds, most notorious of which being the 'Mechanic hunters' led by Zaraxes, who built a feared reputation for their ruthless tactics. Due to the rapid implementation of synths, the UTC leadership had been caught off guard and unsure how to proceed, with the immense opposed moral and economic interests. The situation was finally resolved when Froxalen, a prominent activist for synth emancipation, was granted an audience with the high-directors to argue their proposed law for Synth emancipation. In an extensive and intense plea, Froxalen convinced the high-directors, who proceeded to unanimously accept Froxalen's law in its entirety. Over the next few years, the situation remained troubled as synths had to be fully included in society and all synth-insurgents where granted amnesty, but eventually prime-director Gelard declared the Integration of Synths a success, 40 years after their first introduction. Today, Synths have become completely normalised in Commonwealth society on all levels and are, in fact, considered the most loyal and dedicated citizens of the UTC, as essentially all other empires either still forbid Synths or treats them no differently than their automaton predecessors. Synths are additionally the most important part of the military, serving extensively in all roles and comprising the Commonwealths most elite units. The old leaders in the days of Synth-emancipation, Zaraxes and Froxalen, have since become high ranking UTC officials. Zaraxes being the head of the Eon-division, the commonwealth's most elite special forces group, and Froxalen serving as deputy-prime-director and merely months away of inheriting the office of prime-director. Hesokurs Endurga Government and politics Distribution of power Power in the commonwealth is distributed between three branches: the directorial, judicial and examination branches. The directorial branch is responsible for the daily running of the UTC as well as the enactment of new legislation. The judicial branch is responsible for the judgement of law and the workings of the legal system. The examination branch is responsible for monitoring state and detecting corrupt practices. Directorial system The directorial branch of government is by far the most prominent and important of the state. it is a system meant to assign power based on merit and ability, maintain continuity of rule and prevent factionalism from controlling the exercise of power. In the day to day runnings, directors wield full executive authority over their segment of government. They can thus respond quickly to unexpected occurrences within their field of authority. When passing legislation, a directors power is less absolute, as it requires the approval of both the prime-director and the directors executive council, the collection of high ranking bureaucrats and advisors that are the director's direct subordinates. The appointment of directors is indirectly handled by their respective commissions, organisations made up of the most prominent individuals of the associated director's field. When the office of deputy-director becomes vacant, the directorate's commission convenes in order to elevate one of their own as the new deputy director, who acts as the foremost advisor and aid of the director. When a director finishes their term or is for whatever reason incapable of exercising their office, their deputy-director is elevated as the new director. Directors serve terms of 20 years, which can be extended in case of crisis. This system is meant to ensure both experienced rule and continuity of rule, as directors generally have up to 20 years of experience ruling alongside their predecessor. Prime-directorate The foremost of the directors is the prime-director, who acts as head of state and guiding force of the commonwealth. It is the prime-director's task to ensure consistent and coördinated rule by overseeing the actions of the other, more specialised directors. It is additionally the prime-director's task to provide the government's grand vision and oversee large, fundamental changes, projects and reforms. Examples these include the Astral Reforms of Klandrax, the Plateau initiative of Frolax, the Beacon project of Tolodem and the synthetic integration project of Gelard. The prime-director also has full authority over all matters that are not explicitly assigned to other directors, though this authority is meant to be temporary and must be assigned to a specialised director as soon as is possible. Other directorates Military Planetary Custodial Command (PCC) The Planetary Custodial Command is the governing body responsible for the defence of Commonwealth planets. Although planetary garrisons are generally under the authority of planetary administrations, allocation of resources and armaments is in the hand of the PCC. The PCC can also override planetary command in certain cases. The Grand Army of the Commonwealth The Grand Army of the Commonwealth is the mobile, professional force at the direct disposal of the central government. It is responsible for acting as a mobile reserve, guarding governmental space facilities and undertaking offensive operations. The bulk of the grand army consists of the mechanical legions, large numbers of battle droids in various forms to act as frontline units. There are also various units consisting of the different species within the Commonwealth. The Xer themselves are rare as frontline units, almost exclusively serving as short-range shock-troops with a heavy emphasis on melee combat. Most of the elite forces consist of highly trained Synthetics. Equipt with highly advanced combat-bodies these synth fighters are considered some of the best in the galaxy, mostly competing with the elite Psionics of the Audean Dominion. The Commonwealth Navy The Commonwealth Navy is the nautical branch of the Commonwealth military. It is in command of the Commonwealth's battlefleets as well as the smaller patrol forces employed to protect shipping lanes. Strike-force Rixalem and strike-force Kulgaf are the main battlefleets under its command, each consisting of about 90 ships of various sizes. By far the most important and expensive branch of the military, the Navy has gone through explosive growth since the establishment of the Epochion-forges dramatically boosted the domestic production of high-grade alloys needed to build and maintain its ships. The Commonwealth Navy also informally contains The Beacons of the Void, the shared navy of The Cretacean Treaty Coalition. Though it is formally controlled by the coalition itself, the position of high-admiral is held by the Commonwealth, effectively making it part of its Navy. Individual ships and sub-formations are still commanded by commanders provided by the members who produced them. The Beacons of the Void represents the most powerful asset of the Commonwealth and its allies: consisting of over 150 ships, including 3 titans, The beacons of the Void is one of the largest fleets in the galaxy. Diplomacy Category:Empire